Deciding what you should charge for your entertaining services can be as hard as playing darts with cooked spaghetti.

You spend your whole career trying to figure it out. Wouldn’t it be great if it were just an equation like Price = π x Value2 ÷ √Worth? Well, however you decide your fee, don’t get comfortable; you should be ready to re-evaluate it in a few months.

Standard metrics can help you, like checking out fees of entertainers offering similar services; considering concentration of entertainers in your area; comparing experience, services and branding with your competitor; being sensitive to client responses to quotes you offer.

Of course, some performers really work their pricing magic once they’ve got the client on the phone. There are those that have the gift, and they could probably sell ice to an Eskimo. A great sales pitch can convince a prospective client of the inherent worth and undeniable value of your act.

For those of us that are willing to let our training, experience, reviews and professional marketing do the selling, the fee we charge will always be effected by the changing economy, and tastes of the buyers. Maybe it’s like deciding on buying a house – you don’t want to have the most expensive house on the block. That quality mismatch between your home and the surrounding homes will lead most buyers to pass on it.

So, maybe the old joke is not a joke after all. Maybe you do want to be the best performer – in your price range.